Red Rag Top
by Chibi Horsewoman
Summary: 8 years ago Riven had a band and got hooked up with Flora. Some really sad things happened and they broke up. Now years later someone from Riven’s past bumps into him and brings back some memories he’d rather forget. AU Riven and Flora


**Red Rag Top **

**Summary: A long time ago Riven had a band and got hooked up with Flora. Some really sad things happened and they broke up. Now years later someone from Riven's past bumps into him and brings back some memories he'd rather forget. This story is very AU and does not mention Alfea, Red Fountain or even Magix. The song Red Rag Top is by Tim McGraw and the lyrics are in regular italics. I hope you like it.**

**Disclaimer: "Happily ever after" fails And we've been poisoned by these fairy tales.- End of the Innocence by Don Henley**

**Dedication: My friends who will read and review this.**

**Part One**

Riven sighed loudly, the reunion with his college friends had gone well enough but the reunion had included one of his ex girlfriend's friends. The meeting wasn't intentional of course, but it brought back some hard memories.

**_Earlier that evening:_**

Lilith was rushing through the same sports bar Riven and his friends were in not watching where she was walking when she tripped over her own two feet just like back in high school and skidded into a table of four guys. "Whoops sor…Riven?" the platinum haired woman gasped.

"Do I know you?" Riven asked suspiciously.

"Yeah, you do. Lilith Donovan, Flora Di Fiore's friend?"

Riven felt the blood drain from his face as he heard the name Flora and he fought to compose himself before his friends caught on. "Oh, how is she doing?"

"Not bad she just had her second child." Lilith paused when she realized what she had just said and began playing with a strand of hair.

"Oh, that's good."

An awkward silence reigned until one of Riven's friends interrupted. "Hey man are you going to order or what?"

Lilith blushed from embarrassment. "Sorry, I have to get going too. But hey Riven keep in touch."

And with that Lilith was gone and Riven's new life seemed to resume

The magenta haired man was never happier to be back in his apartment. Sure his fiancée was out of town, but that meant that for once he could be alone and try to think of when he was still young. Sighing again Riven pulled out an old shoe box that he had hidden from Musa under some old clothes and started going through his old memories again. All the events recorded in that shoebox started off eight years ago.

**_Flashback eight years ago_**

Twenty year old Riven Grimassi was staring off into space too absorbed in his thoughts which included doing bad things to a supposedly innocent girl with green eyes. This had been going on a lot recently so it was now up to Brandon to throw one of the pretzel bites he kept by the drum set for such occasions when the lead male vocalist's adult ADD kicked in.

"Hey! Cut that out!" Riven growled his violet eyes casting a threatening glare on Brandon's prized drums.

"Then learn to pay attention." The brunette shot back.

"He can't afford to do that Ember Di Matteo the band's bassist and female vocalist quipped. "Riven spent all his money getting ready for a fifth date with Flora."

"Ah, so he sprung for a box of name brand condoms and his guck in a puck?" Lee McCormic, Em's boyfriend and the guitarist asked wiggling his eyebrows.

"Dear El I hope not!" Em winced.

Riven grinned and adjusted his mike. "I hope so!"

"Let's just cut this crap and play!" Brandon shouted above the clamor. And with a few more pretzel bites that's exactly what they did.

_I was twenty and she was eighteen,  
we were just as wild as we were green, in the ways of the world  
she picked me up in that red rag top._

The band finally wrapped up their practice around six o'clock in the evening leaving Riven plenty of time to get ready for his date. Ember of course left him with a few words of encouragement before departing for home. "Don't do anything that I _would_ do." The platinum haired girl warned.

"That leaves what Em, watching the grass grow and mugging old ladies?" Lee asked grinning.

Brandon raised one eyebrow. "You mean to tell me that Em doesn't mug old ladies?"

"Whatever, let's just get going so Riven can make himself look somewhat presentable." Em replied smoothly.

Lee laughed. "Translation, Friday night is girl's night in for Lil, Em, Minh, and Layla and they want to get a good chick flick."

"Isn't that some kind of oxymoron?" Brandon asked grinning. Secretly he was eager to get going since he had a date to get ready for- the brunette man just didn't get how Lee could let his little sister and her friends drag his girlfriend off for a night.

Ember pointedly ignored Brandon as she gave Lee a quick kiss then ran off to her car. The boys quickly followed.

Around six o'clock that evening Flora came to pick up Riven in her bright red Mustang convertible. They exchanged a long passionate kiss before Riven changed the radio from the local country station to a CD of Riven's choosing. End of the Innocence by Don Henley filled the small red sports car.

As they drove off Flora teased Riven about his music choices.

_We were free of the folks and hiding from the cops,  
on a summer night runnin' all the red lights._

_"_Is that all you can think of to talk about?" The cherry haired young man asked after a while. His mind was on other things that he hoped she was considering as well. But there was only one way to find out. As they stopped at a red light Riven cautiously slid the palm of his hand from where it was resting on Flora's knee under her skirt and up her thigh.

Surprised Flora lifted that leg off the brake and set it on the gas pedal instead. Luckily they were the only car at that light. "Oh you want to play that way?" pressing down on the gas Flora sped off down the nearly abandoned road.

"Whoa! Can you slow down please?" Riven exclaimed not bothering to remove his hand from Flora's leg.

"Now why would I want to do that?" Flora asked braking quickly at a stop sign and giving Riven a quick kiss on his neck.

"No clue."

_We parked way out in a clearin' in a grove_

_ and the night __was hot as a coal burnin' stove, _

_We were cookin' the gas we were had to last_

After running a few more red lights Flora parked the car in what they considered their make out spot. A secluded clearing that may have been an apple orchard at one time or another.

"Do you want to leave the engine on and use the AC since it's so damn hot out?" Riven asked as Flora put the car in park.

"No, I'm gonna put the top down then take mine off and we'll see what happens from there." Flora remarked slyly as she pressed a button causing the tan fabric of the sports car to descend and turning off the engine after it had completed its task.

Riven nodded in a dazed state as Flora began to remove her top. "Yeah… let's see what happens."

_In the back of that red rag top_

_She said please don't stop_

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Riven asked gently. Flora and he had worked up a sweat in the back of her convertible. The moon seemed to be a bit lower and even if he wanted to Riven couldn't find his pants since Flora had tossed them out of the car.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life." Was Flora's whispered reply

_**A few weeks later** _

Flora was leaning against her locker trying to calculate how long ago her last period was. She was soon besieged by her four closest friends.

"Flora, You don't look so hot." Minh commented in her straight forward manner placing a hand on the brunette's forehead. "Are you sick?"

"I'm not sure." Flora replied uneasily. "I have been feeling nauseous lately."

"Well I told you not to eat the veggie burgers right before biology finals." Ember scolded taking one of Flora's wrists. "Hmm, your pulse is normal."

"And that proves what?" Layla asked the lavender haired girl. "Have you been getting enough sleep?"

"I don't feel like it although I've been getting about nine to ten hours." Flora answered weakly.

"What are ya'll doing standing in front of the lockers like that?" Lilith asked walking up to her friends. "Classes are over. I thought ya'll were going to go with me to pick out… Flo, you look like crap."

"Gee thanks a lot." The brunette snapped back.

"Crap I think you're pregnant."

The other three girls just stared at their blonde friend in shock. Finally Minh found her voice. "You found that out just by having her yell at you?"

"Yeah, and you didn't?"

"So how are you going to tell Riven?" Ember asked.

"Screw telling. How are you gonna raise a baby!" Layla shouted.

"How about we just discuss this somewhere else?" Flora whispered slowly dragging herself away from the group.

The other four girls looked at eachother. "Agreed."

**Well this ends the first part. ****Please read and review, I should have the second part up soon. And please no flames. Because when you see the second verse and the last verse of this song, you'll see why I had to choose Flora and Riven.**


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